SAVANNAH, GA – The Savannah Bananas are Coastal Plain League Champions. The Bananas took home the win in game three of the series, beating the Peninsula Pilots 9-7.
The Bananas got on the board in the first inning with an RBI from Angel Camacho after Rylan Bannon (Xavier) and Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) got on base. The second half of the inning ended quickly after Beau Sulser (Dartmouth) struck out the first three batters in the Pilots’ lineup.
The second inning the Bananas did what they do best, scoring five runs and taking a 6-0 lead. Clay Dungan (Indiana State) scored in Christian Hollie (Texas-Arlington) after a sacrifice bunt put him in scoring position. Jameson Hannah hit the ball over the right field wall for a three-run home run. Bannon closed out the inning, bringing the Bananas to a 6-0 lead.
The Pilots answered with four runs, cutting the lead to two. The Bananas were able to bring the lead back up to four after a two-run single by Camacho in the fourth inning.
In the eighth inning, the Pilots scored two runs on an error and had a runner in scoring position to tie the game. He was left stranded, and the Bananas went into the ninth up by one.
Corey Beard (Delta State) made his first relief appearance of the season before Ryan Flores (Richland College) came in to close the game, retiring all four Pilots’ that came up to bat.
It was an amazing first season for the Savannah Bananas, as the team broke the CPL attendance record with over 90,000 fans, including 18 sellouts. Now, capped off with a CPL championship.
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 20th season in 2016, the CPL features 16 teams playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL has had nearly 1,300 alumni drafted and 81 of those – including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander – make their Major League debut; while another notable alum – Russell Wilson – won Super Bowl XLVIII. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com and follow us via Twitter @CPLBaseball.